LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– The Rock Around Downtown festival returned for its second year at Parc International in Downtown Lafayette.

RAD Fest is an outdoor and all-ages rock festival that features nine local bands from Lafayette and two others from Baton Rouge and New Iberia.

Grant Duhon, singer and guitarist from Subliminal Landmines, a local Lafayette rock band, created RAD fest to bring the talent of other local bands to a much bigger stage. He also wants to inspire kids from the community to learn about and join the local rock music community. 

“This festival gives me a chance to have local musicians from this area,” Duhon said. “A lot of residents from this area come to one place and just, you know, come together as a community and enjoy all kinds of rock music in one venue in one day.”

Duhon created this festival with the main goal of bringing the community out to experience this type of music and inspire them to create their own. To help begin this process, a guitar was given away to the winner of a raffle to hopefully kickstart their musical journey.

“You know, and the guitar. It will inspire somebody who wins it,” Duhon said. “Maybe they don’t even have a guitar and they’re able to, you know, have one now and be able to learn how to play.”

“Like I said, I love this, spread the joy of music, spread the knowledge and awareness of it,” Duhon added. “The kids that are growing up, I want them to know that those musicians in this town are putting work in, they have musicians playing shows, making music. I want them to know that they could do the same. The options are limitless when you put your mind to it.”

Duhon’s goal for the future of RAD Fest is to create scholarships for students to attend School of Rock in Lafayette to help develop their skills as musicians.